Boy Scout Syndrome
by Dazlious Yaamool
Summary: Heart to heart between father and son.


"You've changed."

Cain looked at his son; "Hell tends to have that affect on people."

They were walking some ways behind two chattering princesses, two happy sisters.

Jeb looked at the ground with a smirk before looking back up at his father; "I wasn't talking about that."

"Then what di-"

"Have you told her?"

Cain looked away, unease showing in every movement of his body. The sisters stopped in the middle of a meadow that seemed to be colored a star blue, sitting down close to one another, picking the weeds and weaving them together.

Cain sighed; "I don't know what you mean."

"Don't give me that." Jeb immediately replied. Cain looked at his son, feeling as if he were a dartboard with the way his son was looking at him, with such an intense stare.

He knew.

Cain slowly took off his hat, staring at his hands fiddling with the brim. He looked out over the scenery, seeing nothing but what his mind decided to show him. He didn't know what to tell his son. His son, who could very well be older than the woman that haunted his mind and plagued his heart, even if by an annual or two. Or more. Cain looked back at his hat. He could barely stand that his son knew, what he must think, what he must feel. Betrayal, anger, embarrassment were a few that came to mind when he pondered on it. In a way, Cain felt that he had just failed his son, though he didn't know how.

An outright laugh caught his ears and drug him back.

"No."

He placed his hat back on his head.

Jeb was silent for a while, looking out over at the two sisters as they placed wreaths on each others head, giggling madly when said wreaths fell apart. He seemed oblivious to his father casting glances at him every five seconds. Of course, Cain had thought, had believed, that he had been careful to making everyone oblivious to his feelings.

And it was apparent that he hadn't been careful enough. He wondered how long Jeb knew. Wondered how he knew. Was he obvious? Did anyone else know?

Did she know?

Cain looked quickly at the two smiling sisters. The youngest seemed to be teaching the eldest a hand game that didn't look familiar to him.

He didn't think she knew, but then he didn't think Jeb knew either.

Jeb looked at him once again, his hands shoved in his pockets, looking at him in what could only be called as a 'what's wrong with you' gaze.

Cain felt ashamed. His eyes traveled to the dirt by his boots.

"Why not?"

Startled, Cain looked up at his son, who was still staring at him with that gaze. His bewilderment must've shown on his face, for his son looked at him with a gentle gaze.

"I know she's changed you." Cain looked back at the sisters; his son followed his gaze for a brief moment before setting his eyes back on him.

Cain gazed at him for a moment before letting his eyes fall back to his hat; "She gave me something to live for when I thought I had nothing to live for." He looked at the sisters, eyes reflecting the soft blue of the meadow. "Something other than revenge."

Silence passed between them as Jeb took in the words he had already known. He smiled.

"When are you going to tell her?"

Cain's gaze never wavered from the siblings, "When the time is right."

Jeb snorted. Cain looked at him. "That means 'never' in your dictionary." Jeb said as he looked back at their wards. Cain pursed his lips.

"Glitch was right." Jeb said quietly, almost melancholy.

Cain looked at him. Jeb met his gaze before shifting it back to their princesses; "you're suffering from Boy Scout Syndrome."

It was quiet for a moment, the trees whispering and the birds calling to fill in the silent void between father and son, before a snort was heard, followed by chuckling.

The two looked at each other as they shared their mirth, relaxed matching grins on their faces.

As one they looked over at the two sisters, who were currently leaning very close to each other, whispering to each other, as if plotting something dastardly. The look was complete when the youngest quickly, with the most mischievous gaze, glance at them before ducking her face in her sisters' hair. Her shoulders shaking in what Cain knew to be laughter.

He felt uneasy, because whenever she looked like that, acted like that, something was going to happen. Something he normally either didn't like or didn't approve.

Generally both.

Then the eldest casually glanced over her shoulder that was not currently hiding her sibling. Her brow arched as her soft dark lavender eyes glittered with a conspiring air.

Cain was worried now.

"Oh boy." Cain said as he watched the eldest turn back to her sister, her head ducking a little.

"They're plotting." Jeb said in a voice that seemed to be wavering to Cain's ears.

Cain looked over at his son, a smile threatening to spill. His son looked back, mirroring his father. And in that moment, that silent, still moment, they knew. Knew that they would be just fine.

Everything was going to be alright.


End file.
